In order to reduce energy consumption for heating and air-conditioning a building, attempts have been made in the past to limit heat losses through the roof, through the walls, and through the floors of the building, in combination with using solar energy heater means, heat pumps, and/or other types of heater or cooler means that are energy-efficient and/or that make use of renewable energy.
Proposals have been made in particular for a novel type of building in which the outside walls are double walls (or “cavity” walls), comprising a load-carrying inner wall (or “wythe”) and a thermally insulating outer wall, these walls being separated by an intermediate space in which it is possible to circulate air that is taken from outside the building so that, at certain times of day or night, the inner wall can be heated or cooled as a function of requirements, while also taking account of the orientation and the insolation of the walls in question.